Mother's fury as she reports burglar - but police are too busy

A mother of two young children told yesterday of her terrifying ordeal when police failed to arrive after she called 999 warning an intruder was breaking into her home.

Jane O'Rourke, 41, was alone with her young sons when she heard a burglar trying to smash his way through a window in the middle of the night.

The housewife made a desperate call to the police explaining the stranger was still trying to gain entry to her £3million Hampstead semi-detached home.

She told the emergency operator she was in three storey townhouse with her two children but after waiting for half an hour she realised no help would arrive.

She said: 'I called 999 and said I had heard a loud bang and that someone was trying to get into the house. I told them I was on my own with two young children.

'The boys were asleep in bed and I was in a real predicament as to what to do. I didn't want to go downstairs in case someone was there.

'I was absolutely terrified. I just looked out of the window. I waited and waited but no-one came. I did manage to remain calm, I didn't want to wake the children. Luckily, they are still unaware of what happened.

'I didn't get much sleep for the next couple of days because I was worried they would come back and the police wouldn't be there to help.'

The attempted break-in took place on Wednesday of last week and Mrs O'Rourke called the police at 11.15pm asking for help.

The police only called back at 11.47pm, by which time a neighbour had scared off the would-be burglar and also searched the five bedroom house to make sure it was safe.

At the time of the break-in Mrs O'Rourke's husband Andrew, 47, a chief executive, was away on business and she was at home with her sons aged four and seven.

The family had a security alarm which was triggered by the intruder but had since turned their home into 'Fort Knox'.

Mrs O'Rourke added: 'I am extremely supportive of the police and think they do an incredible job considering what they are up against.

'But I was absolutely confident the police would come within five or ten minutes. That's what you grow up to expect. For a couple of days after the break-in I've been in shock that this can happen in a civilised country.

'I was very worried about the safety of myself and the family.'

She added: 'The police have apologised. They have expressed a huge amount of concern about what happened, but say their resources were overstretched.'

An intruder had also tried to gain entry into the townhouse in London's exclusive Hampstead, overlooking Parliament Hill, just a month earlier. The family had also suffered four attempts by a thief to break into their people carrier car in recent weeks.

Superintendent Roger Smalley, of the Metropolitan Police, said: 'We are aware of this matter and it has been brought to our attention. We are fully investigating the circumstances.'

Police also said they receive a large number of burglar alarm triggered calls and simply cannot respond instantly to them all.

Last week it emerged that during one weekend in September callers to Scotland Yard faced an 18 minute wait before their 999 calls were answered. Police blamed the delays on a near doubling of the normal number of calls.